Cupid’s Connection Video Personals Take Some Of The Blind Out Of The Date
SWM, 35, seeks female, 29-35, for hiking, movies and romance.
If you’re single, you’ve undoubtedly read, laughed at or possibly even answered personal ads like this one. I called once. The guy sounded great, so I took a chance and invested the $2.99 a minute it cost to leave him a message. But, when I met him face to face … well, as we say in the television business, the visuals just didn’t support the copy. Not exactly a love connection. And that’s when I realized I’m much too selective to waste my valuable time exploring blind personal ads.
That’s why I was intrigued when I heard that ConnecTV, a local company, was hosting an audition session at Cavanaugh’s Fourth Avenue in downtown Spokane for anyone interested in advertising their job skills, single status or virtually anything else, free of charge, to a national television audience.
As a television employee I found the concept interesting. And, as a veteran member of Spokane’s single population, I viewed it as a reasonable alternative to those faceless personal ads that appear in print. I knew I had to check it out.
It was a sparse turnout. There were only about 20 of us. A small television studio was set up in the back room. Several men in business suits waited to videotape basic on-camera requests for employment, but not everyone was that conventional. One aspiring singer belted out a few bars of a favorite song, hoping to add an MTV type of flair to his tape. A steady stream of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area personal ads were airing on a television monitor in the front of the room. As I looked for familiar faces, ConnecTV operations manager John Durocher explained how his company operates.
The process begins with a still photo session at Quicksilver Photography in Coeur d’Alene. Graphics are added to this photo, including hobbies, interests or work needs. An on-camera video interview is scheduled for a later date. The entire process is free to the advertiser. The interviews and still photos are incorporated into a 30-minute show that airs each Sunday at 7 p.m. on satellite Channel 16.
The ad could appear as far away as the East Coast, but the local viewing audience is mostly limited to those attending free viewing parties at The Coeur d’Alene Resort’s Shore Lounge. It’s one of the few Spokane area restaurants and bars that have the satellite dish necessary to pick up Channel 16. Viewers interested in an advertiser can respond through a 1-900 phone number. The cost is $2.99 a minute.
Only three people showed up to tape personal ads that evening. One came and went before I arrived, another was hoping to get both a date and a job as a writer with ConnecTV. And then there was Pat Carbaugh …
The 39-year-old Airway Heights bricklayer saw ConnecTV as a costeffective alternative to the expensive video dating service he had opted for in the past. His on-camera experience showed during the interview.
Carbaugh remained confident and composed while two glitzy hosts asked him a series of questions about his ideal woman. There were camera operators, hotel workers and directors all over the place, but at that moment, all eyes were focused on Pat Carbaugh. I admired his courage. Later, I asked him about the experience. “I was trying hard not to be nervous,” he said. “It’s all new to me. I imagine if I did this four or five times I would get even better.”
So far, Durocher and his crew have taped about 100 personal ads in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area. He hopes increased advertising and more special viewing parties at local restaurants and bars will generate more interest from singles, and more revenue to fund the expansion of his show onto local cable television.
Carbaugh is enthusiastic about ConnecTV. He says he’d much rather meet women through a service like this than at bars. “There’s some common ground. You’ve got some data on her. It’s pretty easy to pick out the girls with character,” he said.
There’ll be love in the air and on the airwaves tonight in Coeur d’Alene. So, if you’re single, you might want to check out the offerings at The Coeur d’Alene Resort’s Shore Lounge. Who knows, you may just find your love connection.
MEMO: Cynthia Prentiss is a viewer development producer for KHQ-TV.